Johnson’s latest alleged bash has ‘disgusted’ people who share his birthday

Members of the public who share Boris Johnson's birthday
Support us and go ad-free

People who share a birthday with Boris Johnson have said they are “disgusted” that a gathering to celebrate the day with the prime minister was held inside No 10 during the UK’s first national lockdown.

Prem fandango

No 10 has conceded staff “gathered briefly” in the Cabinet Room on the afternoon of 19 June 2020 following a meeting after it was alleged 30 people attended, shared cake, and sang “happy birthday” to the PM, despite social mixing indoors being banned.

A single mother born exactly a year before Johnson spent that day at home in Winchester, Hampshire, with her 25-year-old daughter Kirsten, who was recovering from a thyroid cancer operation and had a “15-centimetre gash” across her neck. Donna Levermore told the PA news agency:

It was terrible, absolutely awful… we’re sitting there holding each other – but hardly holding each other because she was so sore with her stitches… we pulled ourselves through it completely alone,”

(Mr Johnson) has infiltrated and spoiled everything – literally stomped all over it… I’m disgusted. He’s tarnished my bloody birthday.

My daughter lost her neck… and this bastard is dancing the fandango.

Kirsten was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in December 2019. Her operation to remove the cancer was rescheduled six times before she finally underwent surgery on 9 June 2020.

Kirsten Levermore
Donna Levermore was with her 25-year-old daughter Kirsten, who was recovering from a thyroid cancer operation on on 19 June 2020 (Donna Levermore/PA)

While Kirsten has made a full recovery, Levermore said the news of a gathering at No 10 on the same day is “cruel”. She said:

He is not fit to govern. He has absolutely crushed the spirit of people – how are you supposed to believe in anything when this has happened?

He will be remembered in history with the worst of the worst for what he’s done… it’s like dancing on someone’s grave.

“Galling”

Angus Proud from Barrowford in Pendle, Lancashire also shares a birthday with the prime minister and said it was “galling” to hear the allegations that Johnson had celebrated it while others were following restrictions. Proud tweeted a picture on of himself enjoying a quiet birthday drink on 19 June 2020, which he spent with his partner.

Proud told PA:

I was never a fan of Johnson, but I did think in March and April that year that he got the country on the right path. To find out now that he was leading his own life by his own rules is pretty galling.

We had a pleasant enough day, but not the day we could have had. And that’s fine when you know we’re all in it together. But we weren’t, were we?

Proud said that he “absolutely” believed he was doing the right thing by having a quiet birthday, and said “it felt like a national effort to us”.

Downing Street said staff “gathered briefly” in the Cabinet Room after a meeting, in response to a report from ITV News which suggested up to 30 people attended what it described as a birthday party. The broadcaster suggested the prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, had organised the surprise get-together complete with a chorus of “happy birthday” on the afternoon of 19 June 2020, when indoor social mixing was banned.

Support us and go ad-free

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us